Just so you know...

I'm probably not going to be posting much on this site for a little while. I'll post a few things here and there, but I'll primarily be using our other site: sweetbabybendel.blogspot.com to post on. Please feel free to peruse there if you like, I love visitors.

Baby Bendel

Some of you already know, but I wanted to let all of you in on some very exciting news. Chance and I are going to have a baby!!! I'm over the moon with joy, well I would be if I wasn't so darn tired. We found out on the 30th and don't have very much information at this time. {Wouldn't it be my luck that my Dr. is on vacation when I finally find out that I'm pregnant.} He'll be back next week and I'm busting his door in on the 12th. We think that I'm due around the end of March, but obviously we're not sure. I also wanted a special way to keep everyone updated so I started a blog - in addition to the one I already have { chanceandsarahbendel.blogspot.com } our new blog can be viewed at: sweetbabybendel.blogspot.com I plan to later publish this blog into a keepsake book, so please feel free to comment, so that I can include our dear family and friends. Also, when I updated my email account I lost many contacts in my address book, so please help me in passing this along, I'd scream it from the roof tops if I could.

I'm so excited to share this news with all of you. I love you all!!
Sarah

Exciting news.....

We're going to have a BABY!!!!!!!!

One word

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Your hair? Gross
Your father? Gone
Favorite thing? Chance
Your dream last night? Non-existant
Your favorite drink? Lemonade
Your dream goal? Motherhood
The room you are in? Office
Your fear? Loneliness
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
Muffins? Eww
One of your wish list items? Sewing machine
Where did you grow up? Paducah
The last thing you did? Slept
What you are wearing? Pajamas
Your t.v.? Broken
Your pets? Perfect
Your computer? Dead
Your life? Changing
Your mood? Unsure
Missing someone? Daily
Your car? Crap
Favorite store? Limited
Your favorite color? Red
When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
Last time you cried? Yesterday
Three people who email you? Deb, Gran, Brandi
Three of my favorite foods? Tomatoes, bacon, ice cream
Three places I would rather be right now? Disney World, Hawaii, Paris

A bittersweet sunday.. and an update.

Many holidays have become bittersweet for me since the passing of my Pawpaw in Oct. 2007. He was, for all intents and purposes my Daddy. He took care of me for the majority of my life, guided me through the treacherous waters of the teenage years, he taught me about the world- but taught me more about myself, and in a final act of selflessness- he placed my hand in Chance's on our wedding day. That was always his job, from the day I was born; though others have doubted my decision since then. I always knew it should be my Pawpaw who gave me away. So yesterday, Father's Day, was especially hard for me. I don't have a relationship with my biological father, so when Pawpaw passed away Father's Day took on a new "meaning" for me. Instead of being a day of celebration, it became a day of remembrance.

As I've written on here time and time again, my Grandfather was the greatest man I've ever known. I was immeasurably blessed to be able to call him Pawpaw. But more than that, I was truly able to call him a friend. There are few people in this world who know me as well as Pawpaw did {I can count them on one hand.} I never had to explain myself to him, he just knew. We were more alike than we were different. A handful of times that led to an explosive situation, but more often than not, it was wonderful. I'll always be incredibly thankful to the Lord for putting a man like my Pawpaw into my life. And even more thankful that he was there for me in so many more ways than he had to be {though he would have told you that there was never a choice.} I'll miss my Pawpaw everyday for the rest of my life, nothing will ever fill the hole that losing him placed in my heart. My only condolence is knowing that when Chance and I have children, I will be able to show them the love they deserve, because of the love Pawpaw showed me.

************

On the sweet side of things, we celebrated Father's Day in our house in a n unconventional way. Since technically Chance and I aren't parents, we don't do the gift thing. That being said we very much feel like Mommy and Daddy to our "little ones" Tyler, Baylei, and Oliver. I celebrated for Chance in the morning with my best friend Maria, out in the pool; I let Chance sleep. We got a little crispy so we got out in the early afternoon and went to Chance's best friend's house for some relaxin' on the couch. We laughed until we nearly cried watching our favorite TV shows. {We got to see the Mythbusters launch a little girl [a dummy of course] 13 stories in the air, it was ridiculous- but amazing} Then it was back home for some night-time swimming. All in all I think Chance had a good day, which is all that matters to me. I on the other hand, am still dealing with the decision not to get out of the pool sooner.

************

And for the update:

Oliver is recovering nicely after his surgery. He wasn't very happy when I first got him home {I have 3 very long scratches on my arm to prove it.} But I think he's adjusting to the no [front] claw/no manhood thing just fine.

Chance spent most of last week in Louisville and Lexington. Lexington: for a class, and visiting a friend of ours. Stephen Hunt. He is a blessing to us in so many ways. Louisville: for a much more upsetting reason.

One of Chance's friends, his college room-mate actually, Ian Moore shot himself last Sunday morning. Ian spent the next 6 days on life support in the CCU at U of L Hospital. He was mostly brain dead {there was only activity in his brain stem.} Chance was lucky enough to get to spend the last few moments of Ian's life surrounded by his family, telling stories and remembering Ian the way he should be remembered; as a friend, as an athlete, and as an all around great guy. Saturday morning Ian's family made the decision to take him off life support, he passed shortly there after. The reasons behind Ian's decision will never be clear. There are only two people in this world who truly know what happened and one of them is gone from this world forever. Ian was an incredible athlete. He played baseball all through high school and then again in college. He was very outgoing and good looking. He had the kind of personality that could light up a room. Ian and Chance were good friends all through their high school days, but lost touch after Chance left Murray State; a fact that I think will haunt Chance for a while. They had, in recent years, however started to put back the pieces of their friendship. Ian will be greatly missed by many people, his life touched so many in his short 25 years.

Oh Ollie...

* NOTE: This post was supposed to be posted on 6-12-09, but for whatever reason it was not.

The date has been set, his time has come. Our sweet Oliver will go under the knife Monday morning at 8:30 am.

Our Stephen...

This is one of mine and Chance's best friends Stephen and his nephew. Well technically he was Chance's friend first, but I stole him.

Has it really been nearly a month???

Goodness gracious, I can't believe it. It's literally been nearly a month since I last posted. Sorry to those of you who actually read my blog. So many things have happened, so many that it would probably take about a gazillion posts to explain it all. So I'll just skim the surface.

Our house is just about done. We're ready to start putting the interior walls in. We've got all the insulation we need, that's exciting. Chance seems to think that we'll be done in a couple of months. That's even more exciting. {actually it makes me giddy to think about it.} I'm more ready than you can possible imagine to cook in my own kitchen, to do laundry in my own washer, to sleep in my own room, to be able to sit on my couch, in my living room. I could go on for days, but I won't.

I've been having some unexplained health issues lately. The "ever-capable" doctors of our town have no idea what's going on. I've had 4 full blood work panels, an ultrasound on my gallbladder, and a HIDA scan. Next on the agenda are a 2-d echo, and a stress test. I'll let you know the results as soon as we figure out what the heck is going on.

As you may or may not have seen in my last post; I'm a complete Twilight nerd now. I've read all the books, including the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun {posted here.} I was so addicted that I read all four books in four days. I'm actually re-reading them because I went through them so quickly the first time that they all kind of blurred together. I'm on my second round with New Moon as we speak. I bought the movie on Blu-ray, and I think I've watched it at least 50 times. I'm not exaggerating. And I can't seem to take the soundtrack out of my car stereo to save my life. I'm not entirely positive that I can wait until November. To all of you women out there who I criticized for your love of the books, I owe you one heck of an apology.

I bought this fabulous pillow from an even more fabulous woman. I love it. I can't wait to see it in the house! Isn't it perfect??

My best friend graduated in May from WKU. We're so proud of her.

My little sister also graduated in May from high school. I'm so excited for her that it's probably unhealthy.

Chance is still un-employed, and it's starting to get to me. He's trying very hard, I know, but it's just so frustrating.

It official.

I'm unconditionally, irrationally, completely ADDICTED!!!

I sure do...

Love him!

Project 365.

Don't know how I haven't caught on to this before.

But here it is.

The Bendel's 365

100 things.

100 things that I am thankful for today.

1. My husband, Chance.
2. God.
3. Faith.
4. My marriage.
5. Freedom.
6. Tyler.
7. Baylei.
8. Oliver.
9. Family.
10. Maria.
11. Ashley.
12. Friends.
13. Lindsay.
14. Kelsey.
15. My job.
16. The girls I work with.
17. Vacation time. {only 4 more days of work!}
18. Sunny days.
19. New episodes of NCIS and American Idol tonight.
20. Chocolate chip cookie cakes.
21. Ice Cream cakes.
22. Chance's Iphone.
23. Christmas.
24. All holidays.
25. Christianity.
26. Books.
27. Movies.
28. Tanning.
29. Birthdays.
30. Email.
31. The sun.
32. Prayer.
33. Clean water to drink.
34. Golden Corral restaurants.
35. Outback Steakhouses.
36. My clothes.
37. My shoes.
38. My purses.
39. Facebook.
40. The United States of America.
41. Cars.
42. Electricity.
43. Traveling.
44. Fox News.
45. My Mother-in-law's banana pudding.
46. The Limited.
47. TJ Maxx.
48. Modern medicine.
49. Doctors.
50. Logitech Harmony remote.
51. My recipe book {post on that later.}
52. Washing machines.
53. Dishwashers.
54. My blog.
55. www.photobucket.com
56. www.picnik.com
57. Pictures.
58. Cameras.
59. Woodchuck.
60. Steel Magnolias.
61. Scrapbooks.
62. Our DVR {that happens to be 80% full at the moment.}
63. The big city feel of Nashville, TN.
64. The small town feel of Paducah, KY.
65. Target.
66. Starbucks.
67. Hobby Lobby.
68. Chic-Fil-A.
69. Being debt free.
70. Air conditioning.
71. Music.
72. Bonfires.
73. Grilling out.
74. Swimming pools.
75. August.
76. September.
77. Memories.
78. Photoblog.
79. Hugs.
80. Polka Dots.
81. Hydrangeas.
82. Poppies.
83. My poppies.
84. Having 100 things to be thankful for.
85. Sunglasses.
86. Antiques.
87. HomeAgain microchipping.
88. Veterinarians.
89. Flea markets.
90. Cheetos. {which reminds me, I left a new bag at work.}
91. My boss, Jesa. And the super motivating things she said to me yesterday.
92. Online banking.
93. Those buttons on soft drink machines that let you put vanilla, lime or CHERRY in your soda. Thank you Hucks!
94. Text messaging.
95. Inside jokes with good friends.
96. Blue jeans.
97. My red pea-coat.
98. My ceramic straightener.
99. Tylenol PM.
100. Caffiene.

Happy...

Cinco de Mayo!

Cheers!!

Pigs...

I've always thought that pigs were a perfectly pleasant creature. Yes they roll around in their own filth. Yes they eat something called "slop" {just saying the word makes my stomach turn.} But for whatever reason I've always thought they were "cute." Charlotte's Web was one of my favorite books as a child; Wilbur stole my heart. Only God knows how many times I've read it.

So it breaks my heart to relate this sweet, swine face:

To this not so sweet, bio-hazard.

To be perfectly honest the whole idea of this swine flu thing makes my skin crawl. I think I've used more anti-bacterial gel in the past week than most people use in a month and I think if I wash my hands much more my skin is going to fall off. I never thought I'd say this but I'm really glad that Chance and I don't have kids right now {I know, I can't believe I said that either.} But honestly, I think if we had a little one right now I would be in hysterics, trying to build one of those bubble things. And somehow I just don't think the Lowe's on Clarks River Road carries those. So for now I'll just continue to wash, sanitze, and repeat like a crazy person.

Oh where does the time go?

Our engagement portraits were taken 2 yrs ago today.

I don't know where the time has gone.

We look so much younger, I look so much skinnier, Chance has hair {my hair's about the same}

This is us now: older, not a size 4 anymore, shaven head; but still just as in love.

Tyler Nikolas Buddy Bendel, our baby.

The AKC, who began recognizing Brittanys in 1934, says the following about Brittanys: "The Brittany is a medium-sized, leggy, dual-purpose dog, equally suited for sport and companionship. According to AKC® Registration Statistics, it has surged in popularity in the last 50 years due to its talents as both a hunting and show dog. Originally called the Brittany Spaniel, it is now referred to simply as the Brittany, as its hunting style more closely resembles that of pointing breeds. Its dense, flat or wavy coat can be orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns. ... A compact, closely knit dog of medium size, a leggy dog having the appearance, as well as the agility, of a great ground coverer. Strong, vigorous, energetic and quick of movement. Ruggedness, without clumsiness, is a characteristic of the breed. He can be tailless or has a tail docked to approximately four inches."

I say that our Brittany, Tyler, is a fierce companion. His loyalty to our family is unwaivering. Though Brittanys are primarily used for hunting, our Tyler has made one heck of a family dog. He is so intelligent and eager to please. We have never given him any formal training, yet he knows to sit, lay, stay {all the usual commands}; he even "points" on instinct! He never ceases to amaze me. He loves his pal "Ducky" {a stuffed duck, imagine that}. He's great with our two cats and loves children. He's seen his share of adversity in his short 2 yrs. On Tyler's first birthday he was hit by a car, breaking his front left leg. At the vet's office he was exposed to parvo and struggled trough several extended vet visits for nearly a month. He recovered and was back to his cheerful self quickly. Then in February of this year he and our sweet Nik ran away. They were gone for nearly a week; Nik didn't make his way home, but thankfully Tyler did with just a few minor cuts and bruises. Tyler has always been my weakness, but since he's been home it's been more of an obsession. He's spoiled to say the least! He's never alone, he's either with Mommy or Daddy or Grandpa is "Tyler-sitting."

I can't say enough wonderful things about our baby, or the breed for that matter. Whenever we are ready for a new little one, we will definitely be going with a Brittany!

Everything

I'm currently obsessed with this guy. Our Brittany Spaniel Tyler. {he's getting his very own big boy post soon} He celebrated his 2nd birthday last week, complete with a puppy-approved birthday cake. Chance says I'm going over-board in my obession. But after we lost Nik I feel the need to make Tyler as happy as I possibly can; and if that means giving him an entire bag of treats all at once, or sharing a "few" bites of everything I eat; then that's just what has to be done. End of story.

A big congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Ryan Hughes. Our cousin Cassie got married last Saturday. It was a lovely ceremony! Ryan is in the marines and is stationed in Washington D.C.; Cassie is going to be moving to join him after this semester is over. We are so happy for the both of them!!

This is our back deck. I'm loving the wisteria, but it's seriously lacking some luster. We're trying to decide what to do with it right now. We are hoping to find some old window frames to hang from the sides of the arbor. I think we're going with a pink and red color scheme.

Speaking of gardening, these are my new babies. My pretty pretty poppies have "popped" through!! I can't wait until they're all grown up. I think I'm going to put them in the kitchen.

The Bendel's Easter 2009

We had a delightful Easter, lots of good food and relaxing with family. And of course, since Easter is one of only 4 days that the bridal store is closed all year, I thoroughly enjoyed the day off. It is unbelievable to me that this was our second Easter as "Mr. & Mrs."

This was us last year:

The Bendel's Easter 2008

This whole swine flu thing has me wanting to bathe in anti-bacterial gel, spray my house down with lysol, and put plastic over all the windows and doors. It's terrifying! I'm praying that it doesn't make its way into my small corner of the world.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to make with these beauties that I purchased on Etsy from KellWood. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

No fun.

No fun for me today, it's a gross rainy day. I hate rain! Tyler, who is usually game for anything, doesn't enjoy this weather either; he doesn't like to get wet. Breaking news on the house: Chance went and picked up our heating and air conditioning unit last night {in the pooring rain, it took him 4 hours to make a 2 hour trip.} It was a craigslist find, we got it for like $350.00. I was amazed. Chance checked it and everything is in working order. So now we just need to go to Lowes {our second home}, buy the tub, toilet, and the sink for upstairs and we'll have everything we need for the next step in this process- plumbing! I rearranged all of our boxes yeaterday, pulled out what I wanted to put in the half bath downstairs, and kind of re-prioritized things. I'm seeing a massive upload to eBay in my very near future! I don't know where all that stuff came from, and that's what it is-- STUFF. How do two people accumulate so much??

I want I want I want

J Crew- I love you.

True Friendship...

... is my best friend.

I'm counting down the days until she gets home!